Mansfield University women’s basketball’s Melanie Taylor has been named Most Improved Player for the 2017-18 season.

A Wyoming native, Taylor started in 23 of her 29 appearances at guard in her senior season. Averaging a fifth-best 5.6 points an outing, Taylor posted double-figure scoring in six games. The guard opened 2018 play in grand fashion, dropping a season-high 15 points in a win over Lock Haven. She recorded 49 assists and 23 steals while connecting on 68.8% of free throws.

One Genesee County girls basketball team is advancing to the regional playoffs and for another, its season is over following a pair of Section V consolidation games played Tuesday.

Elba beat Wheatland, 47-38. The Lady Lancers will play for the Far West Region Class D championship Saturday at Rush-Henrietta High School at 3 p.m. against Franklinville of Section VI.

For the Lady Irish of Notre Dame, their season is over after losing the Class C consolidation game (where Class C1's sectional champion plays Class C2's sectional champion for the right to play in the Class C Far West Regional game) to South Seneca, 61-41. For Notre Dame, Margaret Sutherland scored 18 points and Callie McCulley scored 16 points.

It came down to defense, said Head Coach Tom McCulley, whose team held Letchworth to nine points in the second half and prevented them from scoring for more than eight minutes at one point.

"That’s who we are," McCulley said. "Hard work and gritty and score enough on offense and turn it up on defense and make teams uncomfortable."

Callie McCulley's aggression, driving for layups, with Margaret Sullivan and Stevie Wilcox attacking the boards, combined with good shooting from the free-throw line helped turn the tide.

"We’ve preached all season long, rebounds and free throws," McCulley said. "The fundamentals of the game, when you’ve got evenly matched teams, that’s what it comes down to. A lot of these games come down to free throw percentages and who wins that battles on the boards."

He praised the hard work and fight put up by Letchworth. They came out of the gate aggressive and McCulley said that put his team back in its heels. When they were down by 13, he called a timeout and told them they needed to grind it out.

"I just told them you've got to contest every shot," McCulley said. "You’ve got to go after every loose ball. This is sectional finals. There’s no tomorrow if you don’t win today."

Callie McCulley finished with 15 points and was named tournament MVP. Stevie Wilcox and Margaret Sutherland scored eight points each. They were both named to the all-tournament team.

Perhaps overlooked in the accolades but not overlooked by her coaches and teammates, McCulley I said, is Morgan Rhodes, who scored nine points.

"Morgan is a spark plug," McCulley said. "I ask her to defend. I ask her to help with ball handling. She can knock down shots. She’s not afraid of the big stage and the big moment. She played huge the other night against Red Creek. She played huge for us tonight. She’s one of those unsung heroes of this tournament but coaches realize what she brings to the table."

Notre Dame announces the hiring of Joe Zambito as their Varsity Football Coach replacing Rick Mancuso who retired to spend more time with his family.

He was a highly successful Genesee Region Football and Basketball Coach at Elba from 1999 through 2006. Zambito joined the Notre Dame coaching family in 2010 as a volunteer coach on Coach Mancuso’s football staff a position he held for the past seven seasons.

His relationship with the Notre Dame side of one of Section V’s biggest rivalries began a few years earlier in the fall of 2007 with the enrollment of his nephew Vincent (Class of 2011).

It continued for the next 11 years as nephews Gianni (Class of 2010 and a current Social Studies teacher at ND), Luca (Class of 2016 Valedictorian), Nico (Class of 2018) and cousin Anthony (Class of 2021) all made Notre Dame their high school choice.

During his eight-year stint as the head football coach, his Elba teams were recognized in both the GR and Section V as being physical, well-prepared and disciplined football squads. They excelled on the field winning 3 GR Championships and the 2005 Section V Class D Championship, an accomplishment that led to Zambito being recognized as 2005 Section V Coach of the Year.

He was also a very successful basketball coach winning GR championships in 2005 and 2006, and a Sectional title in 2005 when he was both the Section V and Genesee Region Coach of the Year. During his coaching tenure, his teams also earned numerous NYS Scholar-Athlete team recognition.

Zambito, who is employed as both Race Secretary and Track Announcer at Batavia Downs, holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport. He is married to the former Kelly Degenhardt whose mother Anne Palmer (Degenhardt) is a 1966 graduate of Notre Dame.

When commenting on his appointment, Coach Zambito said,” I am looking forward to working with the student-athletes at Notre Dame to help them grow, progress and maximize their potential both on and off the field. Here Come the Irish!”

Notre Dame announces the hiring of Tim Frappa of Orchard Park as their new Varsity Softball Coach. He replaces Michelle Panepento who decided not to return in order to spend more time with her family. His impressive resume, love of teaching the game of softball and his personality led to his selection from an impressive group of applicants.

Tim has been an extremely successful travel softball coach in the Buffalo area for the past 10 years. For the last three seasons, he coached the NY Inferno 16U and 18U college showcase teams where he has helped players realize their goal of playing college softball. He is recognized as an excellent teacher of fundamentals and is especially strong in the development of pitchers including two daughters who went on to pitch in college.

Coach Frappa, who is the Founder and President of Torino Mosaic Flooring, is excited about the opportunity to coach the young ladies of Notre Dame softball and is looking forward to the challenge of building on the success the program has enjoyed in recent years.

Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death and illness in New York State. Tobacco control representatives from Tobacco-Free GLOW Julie Calvert, Brittany Bozzer, Ben Streeter and Krysta Hansen, recently met with Assemblyman Steve Hawley at the Capitol in Albany to discuss the important tobacco control work being done in the GLOW region to save lives.

Ben Streeter and Krysta Hansen are students at Notre Dame High School.

Giving back and saving lives 10 years later. Jason and Nancy Kota lost their son, Matthew, 10 years ago but they continue to honor his memory by giving back to the community and by helping save lives with the American Red Cross.

The Kota Family will be hosting the 10th Annual Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Notre Dame High School in Batavia. It is located at 73 Union St.

Longtime Notre Dame football Coach Rick Mancuso (ND Class of 1976) has announced his retirement from coaching with the goal of spending more time with his family especially his grandchildren.

In announcing his decision, Rick said: “All of us reach a time of reflection on where we’ve been and where we are going. Over the course of the last 35-plus years my family, as all coaches families, sacrificed to allow me to be a part of something special.

"At this moment of my life I would like to spend more time being a part of our children and grandchildren’s lives and create memories that we will forever cherish.”

Coach Mancuso’s retirement ends a 37-year relationship with ND football during which he coached for 22 seasons and spent the other 15 as a key member of the football program’s support staff. Rick began his football coaching career at Notre Dame as the Head JV coach in the fall of 1981. In 2005, he took on the daunting task of replacing retiring HOF Coach Bill Sutherland as Varsity Head Football Coach.

This was the beginning of a very successful coaching career the highlights of which include qualifying for sectional competition in nine of his 13 seasons as Varsity Football Coach, winning Sectional Championships in 2006 and 2012, advancing to the title game on three other occasions and winning three GR League championships.

Although most recognizable for his football coaching role, Coach Mancuso has also been a successful coach at his alma mater in other sports as well. He coached Varsity softball for five seasons from 2011-2015 winning a State Championship in 2012 after advancing to the State finals in 2011.

His softball squads brought home “the Block” in 2011 and 2012 as well as earning three GR championships. He also was a successful JV and Varsity baseball coach and even coached Modified basketball where his squads only lost one game in two seasons.

Rick has had a positive impact on the lives of numerous Notre Dame athletes and has always been there for them both on and off the field. He has built relationships that have stood the test of time and has always been a resource for young coaches seeking mentorship as they begin their careers. He has always taken pride in the numerous alumni on his coaching staff.

A prominent local businessman who is a lifelong resident of Batavia, Rick and his wife, Julie, are parents of five Notre Dame graduates Morgan (’01), Alexandra (03), Rick (05), Pat (’08) and Maddie (’14). They have both donated countless hours to the betterment of the Notre Dame experience for all our students as well as helping to keep the school vibrant and an affordable option to any who would like to attend.

In a rematch of last year's Rotary Tournament finale, Notre Dame, this time, was the more dominant team, beating Cal-Mum, 43-35.

"We didn't really have an identity early in the season last year and it showed," said ND's head coach Tom McCulley. "They were a mature team and we weren't really there yet. This year I think we probably had the edge maturity."

The star of the game was Stevie Wilcox, who scored 17 points and seemed in command of her game from the start. She was named tournament MVP.

"We were ready to bring it and play as a team and work together because when we do, we're unstoppable," Wilcox said.

The Lady Irish are always tough on defense and McCulley said that's what he saw from his team again, especially in the first half, when Notre Dame held the Lady Raiders to six points. Guard Morgan Rhodes was a big part of that, he said.

"Morgan was steady all throughout," McCulley said. "She got some steals and helped us with ball pressure so we weren't allowing them to get comfortable in their sets, maybe not as quickly as they would like. I think most of the time, when I looked up, by the time Cal-Mum got in their sets there was 16 seconds off the close. I was shocked by that. That puts a lot of pressure on the offense to execute."

Margret Sutherland and Natale Thornton also had big games. Sutherland scored 10 points and Thornton scored nine. Both were a strong presence under the boards.

It will be Notre Dame and Cal-Mum facing off tonight in the championship match of the Batavia Rotary Club Girls Basketball Tournament.

After Batavia delivered an uninspired performance leading to a loss to the Red Raiders 43-40, the Lady Blue Devils will face Attica in the consolation game at 6 p.m.

NOTE: the games have been moved from Friday night to tonight because of the anticipated cold snap tomorrow.

The Lady Raiders will face a motivated Lady Irish team that had two of the squad's top players both in sync Wednesday night, with Callie McCulley scoring 22 points and Margaret Sutherland scoring 16 to help lead a dominating 64-42 win over Attica. Natalie Thornton added 13 points.

Attica was led by Taylor Gadd with 13 points and Kacey Pearce with 10.

In what may be the last regular season meeting between Batavia and Notre Dame in boys basketball, the Blue Devils came out on top 68-45 to win The Peter Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament.

The tournament has commonly been known as the Lions Tournament, but the Lions Club of Batavia renamed it this year in memory of Pete Arras, a longtime Lions Club member and founder of the tournament.

The tournament is usually the one meeting each year between Batavia and Notre Dame, but next year, the tournament format will change to include eight teams, four each in Class A and B, and four teams in Class C and D, which is why Batavia and Notre Dame aren't likely to play each other again.

A new feature of the tournament is a banner acknowledging all of the teams. The winning team signs the banner and will be able to display it in the school. Above, Nancy Arras, wife of Pete, signs the banner.

Notre Dame and Batavia will meet in the finals of The Peter Arras GCC Basketball Tournament at Genesee Community College on Friday after both teams won opening round games of the annual tournament organized by the Batavia Lions Club.

Notre Dame beat Elba 77-66 and Batavia beat Albion 84-58.

In the first game, Notre Dame and Elba traded leads throughout the first three quarters, but the Irish pulled away by scoring 30 points in the fourth quarter even as Elba scored 24.

Fans of the Notre Dame, Elba rivalry got their money's worth Friday night as the boys' basketball teams battled into overtime Friday night before the Fighting Irish came out on top 74-72.

The Lancers went into the final 15 seconds of regulation with a four-point lead but a three-point bucket by Andrew Moore (top photo) narrowed the lead to one. Elba failed to score on its possession and the Irish got the ball back with a little more than five seconds on the clock. Notre Dame's Gabe Macdonald was fouled as he drove in the lane toward the basket as time expired. He was also injured, so Zachary Cocking was called on to shoot his free throws. Cocking made the first to tie the score but missed the second (second from bottom photo) to send the game into overtime.

"They showed they have a lot of heart," said Head Coach Mike Rapone after the game. "They have a lot of courage. They didn’t give up. We not only played without (Ryan) Moffett (due to injury), but Nico (Zambito) had fouled out so the kids just circled the wagons and just keep battling. They hit some big shots and they never gave up."

Zambito was the game's top scorer with 26 points. He hit six three-pointers. Spencer Misiti had 14 points, with four three-pointers. Keith Szczepanski, Notre Dame's 6'7", 305-pound sophomore forward, scored 13 points, including four points in overtime.

Notre Dame High School inducted its 2017 Hall of Fame members during a dinner at Ascension Parish on Saturday night. Pictured are Sean Flynn, Mike Francis, Dave O'Connor, Monica Dillion, Jenny Cocco and Joe Scanlan.

David O'Connor, Class of 1967
Dave O’Connor was a standout three-sport athlete during the heyday of ND’s participation in the Bishop Smith Division of the Buffalo Catholic League Msgr. Martin Association. Like his Darien Center brothers – Dick (’64) and Dan (’69), he was a mainstay for Fighting Irish Varsity Football, Wrestling and Track and Field teams during his four-year tenure [1963 – 1967] at ND.

A key member of ND’s 1st Bishop Smith League Football Championship team also being honored tonight, Dave was a four-year member of the Fighting Irish Varsity Football team and had the distinction of being the only member of his class to play Varsity football as a freshman. He was recognized as the Most Valuable Player [MVP] of the 1966 Varsity Football team and received All-Catholic recognition as the Smith Division 1st team fullback during his senior year.

A well-rounded competitor, Dave was also recognized as the MVP of his Varsity Wrestling and Varsity Track and Field teams during his senior year at ND. As a wrestler, he earned All-Catholic honors in the heavyweight classification in tough Smith League competition and captained the Fighting Irish Bishop Smith League 1967 All-Catholic Championship team during his senior year. Weighing 180 pounds, Dave often wrestled up to the 255-pound weight class whenever additional points were needed! He had the distinction of only losing one Varsity match during his star-studded four-year wrestling career on the mats at ND!

As a member of the ND Varsity Track team, he established the All-Catholic record in the shot put as a freshman and went on to hold ND school records in the shot put and discus and was a member of the 880-yard relay team by the time he graduated in 1967. He was also named the recipient of the E. Lawrence Spring Award for ND school spirit on and off the field of play as a senior.

After his ND graduation, Dave attended Erie Community College where he earned an AAS [Applied Arts and Sciences] degree. He was the President of the ECC Athletic Society and wrestled collegiately earning the overall MVP Athlete-of-the-Year award in 1969.

In 2014, Dave trained and competed in the West Virginia Senior Olympics in the shot put and discus, scoring well enough to qualify for the national senior Olympics in Minneapolis in 2015. Dave and his wife Marcia are the parents of two children -- Andrea and Benjamin – and nine grandchildren and currently reside in Morgantown, W. Va. Dave is employed by the Monroe County Board of Education Transportation Department as a bus driver.

Michael Francis, Class of 1980
Mike Francis had the unique distinction of representing Fighting Irish Football and Basketball teams in both Bishop Smith League and NYSPHSAA Section V [Rochester Region] competition! As was the case with his athletic brothers John (’66), Ron (’67), Fred (‘69) and Mark (’75) before him, Mike was a high pro le student-athlete during his four years [1976-1980] at ND participating in four years of Varsity Football and Varsity Basketball, two years as a member of Varsity Track and Field and one year as a member of Varsity Baseball.

Mike truly made his mark on the gridiron during his junior [1978] and senior [1979] seasons. As a junior, he was ND’s Most Outstanding running back, a member of the 1978 Genesee Region [GR] Championship team and received 1st team GR All-Star honors as a running back. He was also named to the prestigious Rochester Democrat and

Chronicle All-Greater Rochester [AGR] all-star team in that same year as a wide receiver [45 catches, 849 yds, 15 TDs].

As a senior, he was once again a member of the 1979 GR league Football championship team and named a GR league 1st team All-Star for the second straight year. Mike was also a member of ND’s 1979 Section V Class C Championship Football team and was again recognized as a member of the Democrat and Chronicle’s AGR all-star team, this time as a wide receiver as well as a running back where he accounted for 15 TDs. The 1979 ND team MVP and New York State all-state selection, Mike was also named to the Rochester Times-Union “Super 22” all-star team as a running back.

As a member of the ND Varsity Basketball program, Mike was named team MVP during his sophomore year while playing in Bishop Smith league competition and a Genesee Region [GR] All-Star during his junior and senior seasons after ND left the Smith League for local Section V competition. As a senior, he was named to the all-tournament team in the Albion Christmas tournament.

He was also a member of the Fighting Irish Baseball team which competed in the Bishop Smith league as a sophomore as well as the ND Varsity Track team his junior and senior years as a sprinter.

Mike played one year of collegiate football during his freshman year as a wide receiver for the Canisius College Golden Grif ns. The parent of three sons – Mitchell, Richard, and Andrew -- Mike resides in Tonawanda and currently serves as an officer at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia.

Monica Dillon Billard, Class of 1982
Monica Dillon was a highly competitive four-sport student-athlete for Lady Irish athletic teams in the early portion of the 1980s. ND records indicate that the Batavia native played four years of Soccer, Basketball and Softball and three years of Volleyball during her noteworthy Lady Irish athletic career.

Monica was a key member of the 1981 and 1982 Section V Class D Championship Varsity Girls Volleyball teams. Her 1982 team finished the season unblemished while compiling a perfect 17 –0 record! She earned Junior Varsity Basketball MVP recognition in 1978 and 1979 and the Varsity Girls Basketball Coach’s award as a Sophomore in 1980.

During her senior year, Monica was named to the Section V Girls Basketball All-Tournament team and received the ND Coach’s Award for Varsity Volleyball. She was also named to the Genesee Region [GR] Softball All-Star for the second consecutive year while also receiving additional recognition as the Varsity Lady Irish Softball MVP.

Monica was named the ND Female Athlete-of-the-Year during her senior year [1981-82] of Varsity competition. After graduating from ND in 1982, Monica went on to Marietta College [Marietta, Ohio] where she earned her BS degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training degree [1986]. She continued her athletic career at Marietta where she played four years of Varsity Volleyball for the Pioneers and, as a senior, co-captained her collegiate Volleyball team while earning 1st team All OAC [Ohio Athletic Conference] honors in the process! Monica also played 3 years of collegiate softball and one year of crew during her college career.

After graduating from Marietta, Monica moved to Boston and earned her MS degree in Health, Sport and Fitness Management as a graduate student at Northeastern University. She worked as a trainer, fitness director and assistant General Manager of the Boston Raquet Club for 12+ years until the arrival of her first daughter, Sarah. During the next nine years, Monica was a stay-at-home mom during which time also gave birth to her second daughter, Julia, in 2002. In 2007 she re-entered the work force as a personal trainer, yoga teacher and manager of the Kingsbury Fitness Club [where she still works today] in Kingston, Mass.

In addition to a lifelong career in the fitness industry, Monica has maintained an active and healthy lifestyle while participating in sprint distance triathlons, hiking, running Boston Marathons, playing golf, biking and doing yoga!

Monica's two daughters are now teenagers; Sarah is 19 and Julia is 15; They currently reside in Kingston, Mass.

Sean Flynn, Class of 1996
Sean Flynn was a standout student-athlete throughout his star-studded six-year career [1990 - 1996] at ND. A native of Batavia, Sean began his record-setting Varsity Golf career as a seventh grader at St. Mary’s Elementary in Batavia. He earned medalist honors in the Genesee Region [GR] Sectional Golf Quali er as a freshman and went on to be a three-time ND Varsity Golf MVP! A five-time Genesee Region All-Star [Grades 7 - 11], Sean also qualified for the Section V Golf Tournament on four different occasions and the NYSPHSAA state tournament on one occasion [1995]!

Sean was also a key member of the Fighting Irish Varsity Football and Ice Hockey teams during his four years at ND. He served as Captain of his Varsity Football team as a senior and helped lead ND to the Genesee Region Division III title. A two-time MVP and talented member of ND “Irish on Ice” Varsity Ice Hockey team from 1992 - 1996, Sean was a key member of ND’s first Section V Class B Hockey Sectional Championship team during his senior year during which time he was also named to the Monroe County All-Star Hockey 1st Team.

As a senior, Sean moved from the “links” to the baseball field where he earned the “Coach’s Award” in route to helping the ND Varsity Baseball earn the 1996 Section V Class D title.

Sean will be remembered as a team leader and role model for a younger student-athletes throughout his accomplished sports career at ND. He earned honor roll and NYSPHSAA ”Scholar-Athlete” [minimum 90-percent academic average] distinction throughout his high school career and was recognized as the recipient of the prestigious Reverend David J. Scheider Sports Loyalty Award [1994- 1995] as well as the Batavia Lions Club Bill Cook Scholar-Athlete and Athlete- of–the-Year at ND during his senior year [1995-1996].

Upon graduation from ND in 1996, Sean completed BS [Business Management, 2000] and MBA [2001] degrees at Canisius College, the Jesuit College of Buffalo. He currently works as a commercial underwriter at JP Morgan Chase in Columbus, Ohio. Sean and his wife Karyn [Sokol – ND ‘97] reside in Dublin, Ohio and are the proud parents of three children – Maren [8], Declan [5] and Nora [3] Flynn.

Jennifer Cocco Rybczak, Class of 2001
Jenny Cocco was an exceptional student-athlete who began her six-year [1995-2001] Fighting Irish Varsity Swimming and Track and Field team careers as a seventh-grader at St. Joseph School in Batavia!

As a member of the Varsity Boys Swim team, Jenny was the first athlete – male or female – to compete for six years in ND’s Varsity Swimming program and played a key role developing the program, as well as putting it on the Genesee Region [GR] and Section V maps.

A member of second Genesee Region Varsity Boys Swimming Championship teams [2000 and 2001], Jenny earned 17 GR League individual championships [6 – 100 yd. breaststroke, 5 -200 yd. freestyle relay, 4 – 50 yd. freestyle and one each in the 200-yard medley relay and 400 yard freestyle medley] during her six years in the pool competing against primarily male swim competition!

By the time she completed her senior swim season, Jenny – who was unbeaten as an individual in dual meets throughout her high school career -- was credited with being the ND school record holder in nine individual events [50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 buttery, 200 individual medley, 500 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay]. She was also credited with being the Genesee Region county record holder in an additional five events [50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay]!

As a junior, she was a contributing member of ND’s NYSPHSAA Varsity Boys Swimming Championship “Scholar-Athlete” [minimum team average of 90 percent] team – the #1 academic team in New York State!

Jenny’s competitiveness transferred to the Track and Field arena each season after swimming! A six-year member of the ND Varsity Girls Track team, Jenny had the distinction of being undefeated in dual meet competition during her sophomore, junior and senior seasons!

She was an 11-time Genesee Region champion [Intermediate hurdles – 4X, 400-meter run – 3X, and 1600 meter and 3200-meter relay – 2X each] and set county records in the 400-meter run, the 400 intermediate hurdles and as a member of the 3200-meter relay. She was also a seven-time Section V Class D individual champion [400-meter run – 3X, 400 intermediate hurdles-2 X and 1600 and 3200-meter relays – 1X each] during her Varsity Girls Track and Field career.

Jenny competed at the New York State meet level twice, once as an eighth-grader where she finished fifth as a member of the 3200-meter relay team and as a senior in the individual 400-meter run where she tied the Section V 400-meter record.

After graduation from ND in 2001, Jenny attended and received degrees from SUNY Geneseo [BA – English Education] and the University of Buffalo [MA–Education]. She swam collegiately at SUNY Geneseo for four years where she was an Academic All- American who set two ECAC conference records [100 yd. and 200 yd. breaststroke], seven SUNYAC records [100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke -3X each and 400 medley relay once] and four SUNY Geneseo pool records [100 and 200 yd. breaststroke and 200-yard and 400-yard Medley relays].

Jenny currently teaches AP Literature and Composition at Altmar-Parish-Williamstown High School. She and her husband Alex Rybczak currently reside in Cicero, New York and are the proud parents of three boys – Jack [5], Vito [5] and Louie [4] Rybczak!

1965 Fighting Irish Bishop Smith League Varsity Football Championship Team
The Fall 1965 football season at Notre Dame was a record-setting time period in school history as our Varsity Football program notched the first [of many] Bishop Smith League Championships in school history!

The Smith league championship roster featured the likes of senior Co-Captain All-Catholic Halfback John Francis (‘66) -- regarded as one of the most talented all-around athletes in ND sports history, his junior QB brother Ron Francis (‘67), as well as senior All-Catholic linemen Jim Schiller (‘66) and Co-Captain Jim Murphy (‘66).

Highlights of the 1965 season included speedy John Francis’ four touchdown performances against Knights of DeSales of Lockport [38 - 27] as well as in ND’s first-time-ever victory over the Frannies of St. Francis of Athol Springs [34 - 13], Ron Francis’ two TDs in a come-from-behind 34 - 14 victory over Erie County power Alden High School and a hard fought 13 -7 victory over the Olean Archbishop Walsh Eagles after being down 7 - 0 early in the game.

The come-from-behind Walsh victory set the stage for the Smith League Championship game on a cold November Sunday afternoon against the Vikings of Bishop Gibbons at North Tonawanda Stadium. Supported by seven busloads of spirited ND student fans and down by four points with four minutes to go, Junior QB Ron Francis (‘67) connected with classmate Mike Brady (‘67) on a key pass that kept a fourth quarter Irish drive alive. With 52 seconds on the clock, Francis connected with Sophomore Denny Waggoner (‘68) for the go-ahead TD.

Congratulations to Head Coach Bernie Fagan, Assistant Coaches Joe Eppolito and Joe Chilano and our 28-member record-setting 1965 Bishop Smith League Varsity Football Champions -- our first in school history!

Joseph D. Scanlan, Ed.D., 1965, ND Principal: 2004 - 2015
Joseph Scanlan, Ed.D., ND Class of 1965, is being inducted into the Notre Dame Hall of Fame as an Administrator/Contributor, a role he certainly excelled at.

A lifelong LeRoyan, Joe played basketball and ran cross country, served as President of the Class of ’65 and was the 1965 “Man of the Year” during his ND years. He earned both his BA in History and his MS in Education at Canisius College where he was a member of both the DiGamma Jesuit Honor Society and the Col. Richardson Army ROTC Honor Society. He attended SUNY Brockport for his CAS/SAS Administrative Certi cation and earned his doctorate [Ed.D] in Educational Administration from the University of Rochester. His wife, Kate, was Notre Dame’s Campus Minister/Theology teacher for 15 years while his son, Michael (’02), played on our 2001 New York State Boys Basketball Championship team and continued the “Scanlan Tradition” as he also was named ND Man of the Year for the Class of 2002.

Scanlan spent 15 years at Byron-Bergen as both a teacher and administrator, 17 years at York as HS Principal before returning to Notre Dame where his plan to “stay a few years” turned into an 11-year stint as his Alma Mater’s President/Principal! Known as “Dr. Joe” to students and staff alike, he was a student-oriented administrator who had high expectations for himself as well as for all members of the ND school community. These high expectations reaped many benefits from academic, athletic and respect for others perspectives during his tenure including ND being named the #1 academic high school in the GLOW Region during each of the 11 years he served as Principal.

A staunch supporter of Notre Dame’s students on a multitude of levels, he was most visible (and vocal) at ND sporting events cheering for and offering support as well as encouragement to all Fighting Irish teams and student-athletes. Even though his job demanded a lot of time, he found the time to attend numerous athletic events making a point of attending contests of all sports while rarely, if ever, missing a home game. Our student-athletes were always well aware and very appreciative of his support which provided Dr. Joe a venue to reach them on many levels. Dr. Joe could often be heard in the halls or cafeteria offering advice and encouragement to student-athletes and nonstudent-athletes alike. Many of his athletic sayings such as “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take” are legendary among ND student-athletes!

When asked to briefly sum up his ND years, Dr. Joe said: “My love of interacting with teenagers and my longtime interest in high school athletics made attending and supervising ND Fighting Irish athletic events and rooting for our Alma Mater a perfect match”!